Adjustable mechanism for feeding metal hoops, bands, strips, or bars to rolls.



I. F. GREGG. ADJUSTABLE MECHANISM FOR FEEDING METAL HOOPS, BANDS,STRIPS,OR BARS T0 ROLLS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.23, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

FRANCIS IE. GREGG, OF MONESSEN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO LUTHER A.BURRELL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ADJUSTABLE MECHANISM FOR FEEDING METAL HOOPS, BANDS, STRIPS, OR BARS TOROLLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1910.

Application filed. February 23, 1909. Serial No. 479,564.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANoIs F. GREGG, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the borough of Monessen, in the county ofWest-moreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Adjustable Mechanism for Feeding Metal Hoops, Bands, Strips, orBars to Rolls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved mechanism for feeding metal hoops,metal bands, metal strips, metal bars or the like to rolls.

Among the objects of my invention may be mentionedfirst,to make lesswork for the man who feeds the said material to the rolls. Second,torender the gages more uniform, as every stop the mill makes cools offthe rolls, and the latter contract. Therefore the first hoop, after thereadjustment of the gage as heretofore employed, would either be tooheavy or would stick in the chills. Third,to produce straighter hoops,bars, bands, or strips, as the case may be. To enable the readjustmentof gage to be made in a very brief space of time. To economize the costof keeping the rolls in repair, and to lengthen their life in acontinuous good condition. These objects and others, hereinafter0bvious, I am enabled to attain by means of my invention. And myinvent-ion has therefore the advantages resulting from the at tainmentof these objects.

The several features of my invention and the various advantagesresulting from their employment conjointly or otherwise will be apparentfrom the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification and inwhich similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts,Figure 1 is a front view of a machine embodying my invention, andof a pair of rolls in combination therewith. Fig. 2 is an end elevationof the parts shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the rear portionof the rolls are broken away for economy of space. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of a thin partition. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of athick partition.

I will now proceed to describe my invention in detail.

My invention is adapted to be employed in feeding metal of the kindshereinbefore mentioned to various kinds of rolls. My invention is ofespecial advantage in feeding this metal to rolls whose surface is notgrooved or channeled, but is everywhere smooth and of a uniformsurface,of the same diameter everywhere.

For the purposes of illustration, I shall describe the application of myimproved feeding mechanism to what are known as planishing rolls andfinishing rolls, and in the feeding of what is known as hoop metal, andby this description the application of my invention to other rolls, andin feeding other descriptions of bar, band or strip metal will be quitefully understood.

In the manufacture of hoop iron, the metal after it has been rolled flatand is of a hoop shape, requires to be passed between two adjacentrolls, named planishing rolls. The hoop iron prior to being passedbetween the planishing rolls is very rough. Its surface is irregular anduneven. There is scale upon it. As the hoop iron is passed between theplanishing rolls, these rolls break up the scale upon it and smooth downthe irregularities and the unevenness of the surface of the hoop. Thehoop is next passed between the finishing rolls and the latter strip offthe scale from the hoop and further smooth it and polish it.

The planishing rolls and the finishing rolls are alike in construction,and a description of my invention in connection with the planishingrolls will be sufficient for a description of the combination of myinvention with the finishing rolls, or vice versa.

In the drawing, A indicates the upper planishing roll and B indicatesthe lower planishing roll. C indicates the left hand housing for theserolls, and C indicates the right hand housing for them. The housing, itwill be understood, supports the axles or journals of the rolls, andholds the rolls in place, at the same time permitting them to rotate. Iattach my improved mechanism. This bar has openings D in it for thereception of screw bolts D or the like. Through the framework or basepiece E of my machine are openings E and the bolts D respectively extendthrough these openings and into the bar D, and thus securely hold thebase E to the bar D.

In order to allow of a movement of my To a suitable bar or framework Ddevice in the direction of the length or axis of the rolls A, B, namely:to the right or left hand in Fig. 1, I make the openings 1) in the barD, or the openings E in the base E of a slotted form, namely: elongatedfrom right to left. In this way, I am enabled to move my device to theright or left rela tively to the rolls. The purpose of this adjustmentwill be hereinafter apparent.

I-I indicates a frame having a top H a bottom H a left hand end H and aright hand end II. The width of the bottom H and of the top H isconsiderable, and is preferably at least eight inches across, that is inthe direction to and from. the rolls. This framework H is in front ofthe rolls. Inside of this frame grooves are present. The grooves J inthe bottom I-I extend the width of it, and the grooves J in the top Hextend the width of the latter. Each groove J in the top H is directlyover a corresponding groove J in the bottom H but the grooves aresubstantially of a like width and depth.

I provide partitions such as K. The upper and lower edges K of eachpartition are adapted to fit nicely the grooves of the top H and thebottom H These parti tions K are sliding ones and can be quickly andeasily drawn out and taken from the machine, and as readily replaced inthe machine and in any pair J, J, of grooves, as desired. Thesepartitions have at their front edge projections K which prevent theirbeing introduced too far into the frame H. The rear or opposite end ofeach partition has an end K. whose edge is concavely curved above at Kand concavely curved below at K. When a given partition is in place,this concavely curved portion fits between the convexity of the rolls Aand B, the point K projecting the farthest in between the adjacentconvexities of the rolls.

I provide a number of partitions of as many different thicknesses asneeded. Thus I am enabled to provide'a space between adjacent partitionsof a needful width to guide the hoop, and when the latter moves throughthis space, its respective edges are so close to the adjacent partitionsthat it, the hoop cannot wabble or move laterally. Inasmuch as the spaceis a comparatively long one, the hoop is guided forward between therolls, and is kept steady while passing between them. The part K K, alsoholds the hoop iron steady even to almost the very place where the rollsmeet together. Thus the guiding is at all points and everywhereeffectively accomplished. By way of illustration, a substitution on oneside of a given space of a thin partition will make the space wider, anda substitu tion of a thin partition for a thick one, on the other sideof said given space will make the space still wider. Thus with only twosets of partitions of only two different thicknesses I can provide aguide space of three different widths, and therefore a guideway forhoops of three different widths. The addition of other partitions ofdifferent thicknesses will provide other additional spaces of otherwidths. But this is not all of the advantages of such partitions.

It is well known that with the former guides used in connection withsmooth surfaced rolls, the rolls being worked only in certain annularplaces on their periphery, grooved places were soon formed on theperiphery and the rolls were soon so worn as to be of no efiicientservice, until removed and turned down in a lathe. This latter operationis an expensive one. My machine enables me to prevent such wear on therolls. For instance, partitions K of various thicknesses can be locatedin the machine and the spaces therein for guiding the hoop be materiallymoved to the right or to the left. By altering the position of thespaces thus laterally, the hoop will be guided onto a different portionof the periphery of the rolls. Thus no portion of the rolls will receiveany more wear than another portion. Therefore the rolls can operate fora very long period without requiring repair or replacement. Suchadjustable provision for the guiding of hoops of different widthsenabling the same guide frame to be of great utility relative to thevarious widths of hoop, bar, band metal, and metal strips, is obviouslya great advantage over the fixed and closely bolted guide for one widthof strip or hoop iron heretofore employed; also such provision foraltering the location of the hoop against the rolls is an advantage ofgreat utility. The ease and facility of quick manipulation of the guidepartitions to effect the change of width of guide space and to changethe location of the guide space relative to its place opposite a givenportion of the roll, also result in a great saving of time and oftrouble. The lateral adjustment of the frame at the openings D or E whenslotted, is valuable, but is usually not necessary, and is a slow andcumbersome mode of adjustment in com.- parison with those means providedby the varied partitions and grooves of the frame. Another remarkableadvantage secured by my invention is the following: IIoop metalfrequently has knots in it. These are often formed unexpectedly, andoften reach the rolls. If a hoop knots and happens to run betweenguides, it will stick. In those forms of guides previously used, thehoop knot when thus stuck, could not be extracted without loosening thebolts and opening the vent of the guide. This operation of tak ing apartthe fixed portions of the guide took much time and trouble. By reason ofmy said improvements, when a hoop knot gets stuck in the guide, I drawon the piece of hoop and on just thus drawing it (the hoop) backward,the knotted piece of hoop and the guide come with it out of the machine.Then the knotted piece of hoop can be removed, the guide replaced andthe operation continued in a very short space of time.

In the claims, where the word hoop or hoop metal is used, it will beunderstood to include metal band, metal bar or metal strip and the like.

\Vhat I claim as new, and of my invention and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In a mechanism for guiding metal hoop to the rolls, the rolls, aframe provided with grooves at right angles to the axes of the rolls,and partitions of different thicknesses adapted to enter said grooves,and to he slid out therefrom, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

2. In a mechanism for guiding metal hoop to the rolls, the rolls, aframe provided with grooves at right angles to the axes of the rolls,and partitions combined therewith, the partitions being of differentthicknesses, and provided with edges and located in certain of saidgrooves, the partitions being capable of being drawn out from thegrooves and replaced therein, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

3. In a mechanism for guiding hoop to the rolls, the rolls, a frameprovided with grooves at right angles to the axes of the rolls, andpartitions adapted to enter said grooves and removable therefrom, therolls being located immediately at the rear of the said frame, thepartitions having rear ends concaved above and concaved below, andconforming to the convexity of each roll, and their said rear ends beingclose to said rolls, the partitions provided with projections at theirfront ends for limiting their proximity in reference to the said rolls,sub stantially as and for the purposes specified.

4;. In a mechanism for guiding hoop to the rolls, the rolls, a frameprovided with grooves at right angles to the axes of the rolls, andpartitions of various thicknesses adapted to enter said grooves andremovable therefrom, the rolls being located immediately at the rear ofsaid frame, the partitions having their rear ends concaved above andconcaved below, and conforming to the convexity of each roll, and theirsaid rear ends being close to said rolls, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

5. In a mechanism for guiding hoop to the rolls, the rolls, a frameprovided with grooves at right angles to the axes of the rolls, andpartitions of various thicknesses adapted to enter said grooves andremovable therefrom, the rolls being located immediately at the rear ofsaid frame, the partitions having rear ends concaved above and concavedbelow, and conforming to the convexity of each roll, and their said rearends being close to said rolls, the partitions provided at their frontportion with projections for limiting their proximity in reference tosaid rolls, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

FRANCIS F. GREGG.

Attest S. B. DEAL,

K. SMITH.

